Hydro-Québec says crews are still working to restore power to more than 80,000 customers in the province and that it could take until this weekend to get everyone back on the grid.
Thousands were left in the dark since Saturday after a fierce spring storm swept through large parts of the countryside, knocking down trees and power lines.
The most affected region remains the Laurentians, where about 50,000 customers are still without electricity. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 18,000 customers in Lanaudière were without electricity and more than 15,000 in Outaouais.
At a news conference Wednesday in Morin-Heights, a small, severely affected town in Laurentians, Hydro-Québec President and CEO Sophie Brochet said crews were working “as quickly as possible” to restore power to all households.
“We will not leave until everyone is connected again,” she told reporters.
WATCH The President of Hydro-Québec explains when the power will be restored:
The crews are working “as fast as we can,” says the president of Hydro-Québec
Sophie Brosch says more crews are expected to be stationed in remote areas to help restore power to affected households, with the goal of being “really far” in Saturday’s process.
Brochu said the public company has about 700 crews – or 1,400 people – working around the clock, including teams of private contractors, regions unaffected by the outages and even some in New Brunswick.
Director Tellier, vice president of operations and maintenance at Hydro-Québec, said he hoped 50,000 customers would be connected again by the end of the day, “but we can’t hope to reconnect all customers before Friday, maybe even after “.
Residents are keeping it dark, the mayor said
Maureen-Heights was beaten by Saturday’s storm. Trees were seen falling over cars and roofs, and power lines were strewn across the streets.
Mayor Tim Wachorn said 75 per cent of residents were still without electricity as of Wednesday. And while the public service called for patience, he said people in the community were beginning to feel frustrated.
“[Hydro-Québec] “He can’t give us a timeline for now,” he said. “It’s hard for people not to know.”
Mayor Tim Wachorn says 75 percent of Maureen Heights residents are still without electricity. (Marika Wheeler / CBC)
Because many residents rely on wells, even showering and using the toilet are impossible for some. Without the internet, phones or stoves, many feel cut off from the world.
“It’s hard not to know what’s going on and when you’re going to regain your power,” Wachorn said.
Chalet Bellevue, the local community center, has been turned into an emergency shelter after a storm over the weekend. A generator is connected that allows people to charge their phones, cook, get water and take a shower.
On Wednesday, Patricia Clark was at the community center trying to download books to read on her iPad. She was thankful that she finally turned on again, as there had been no electricity in her home since Saturday afternoon.
“It was very painful to throw everything in the fridge and freezer … but Morin-Heights were great, they still give you, you know, everything.
Felled trees, terrain causes delays
Hydro-Québec says the size of the affected area is a key reason for delaying the return of lighting.
The storm hit part of a 300-kilometer-long and 100-kilometer-wide area, according to Brooch, ranging from Outaouais to Quebec City.
She said half a million customers lost electricity in three to four hours and more than 554,000 customers were without electricity in the midst of the event.
“It was crazy,” she said. “Since the ice storm, this is the biggest event we’ve seen.”
Brosch said the complex nature of the work to be done in some regions could also create risks and complications, causing further delays.
About 700 Hydro-Québec crews, or 1,400 people, are working to restore power throughout the province.
Crews must remove power lines that have fallen to the ground under the weight of uprooted trees, replace hundreds of poles and move through difficult terrain, which sometimes prevents work trucks from reaching the affected areas, she said.
Brochu said that repairs in remote areas restore service to only a small number of customers at a time, hence the plateau in the number of customers who restore power.
“We know you are there, we will work hard and as quickly as possible,” she assured residents.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 470,000 customers had restored their power. Power is on again for all households in the Morrissey, Quebec City and Montreal regions.
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